1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to roof ridge vents and, in particular, to adjustable pitch "shingle-over" roof ridge vents and methods of making same.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
It is often necessary or desirable in constructing buildings to provide for ventilation of attic space or other building space under sloped roofs. Well-known solutions include so-called "shingle-over roof ridge vents" such as that described in Robinson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,810, issued Mar. 17, 1992, and fully incorporated by reference herein, as well as that described in Wolfert, U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,095, issued Jun. 16, 1992, and fully incorporated by reference herein, as well as the shingle-over roof ridge vent described in Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,502, issued Jun. 30, 1998, and fully incorporated by reference herein. A plurality of such prior art shingle-over roof ridge vents are typically installed end-to-end longitudinally overlying the open ridge at the apex of a sloped roof, with well-known shingles, typically asphalt shingles, affixed over the top surface of the roof ridge vent. At the ends of the roof, the endmost shingle-over roof ridge vents typically have the gap between the roof ridge vent and the roof plugged with filter material as taught in the Wolfert patent or with foam material as taught in the Robinson patent, or as by an integral accordion-pleated end plug as described in the Smith patent, so as to prevent the entry of weather, wind, insects, birds, and the like. A disadvantage of such prior art roof ridge vents is that, because of their substantially rigid downwardly-depending planar lateral sidewalls, the prior art shingle-over roof ridge vents are rather rigid and cannot be compactly packaged in a continuous roll for transport to the installation site.
Prior art shingle-over roof ridge vents are known that can be rolled for compact packaging and transport to an installation site, but such prior art rollable shingle-over roof ridge vents have many disadvantages and design compromises as compared to non-rollable modern shingle-over roof ridge vents, and typically do a poor job of drawing hot air from within the underlying attic of the building, thereby causing heat buildup in the attic. Examples of such prior art shingle-over roof ridge vents are Morris, U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,734 (issued Jul. 29, 1997), and Coulton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,521 (issued Oct. 7, 1997).
Another problem faced by the prior art is that not all roofs are similarly sloped, and the differences in roof slope pitches necessitates that the shingle-over roof ridge vents be longitudinally flexible along the apex of the roof so as to conform to the slope of the particular roof. Such required flexibility heretofore precluded the use of end plugs integrally molded into the shingle-over roof ridge vents of the prior art. Prior art end plug solutions to this requirement of flexibility of the roof ridge vent include MacLeod et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,149, issued Apr. 23, 1991, and fully incorporated herein by reference, as well as MacLeod et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,538, issued Oct. 17, 1995, and fully incorporated herein by reference. These MacLeod patents teach the use of overlapping adjacent downwardly-depending tabs or wall members at the ends of the shingle-over roof ridge vents that slidably overlap one another as the roof ridge vent flexibly bends over the apex of the roof, so as to plug the exposed ends of the roof ridge vents. A problem with such a slidably overlapping construction for the end plugs is that a continuous seal is not formed at the ends of the roof ridge vents, thereby causing gaps or slots to exist in the end walls of the roof ridge vents through which insects, bugs, and the like may enter.
It is therefore desirable to have an adjustable pitch, shingle-over roof ridge vent whose ends are integral with the vent and sealed without the use of separate plugs or filter material, and without having gaps, slots, or holes through the ends of the vent, and in which the shingle-over roof ridge vent is rollable on a continuous roll for transport during storage and subsequent shipping to the installation site, where the roof ridge vent may be unrolled over the ridge during installation. It is further desirable that the rollable shingle-over roof ridge vent have means to create a "venturi-effect" draft to draw hot air outwardly from within the underlying attic.
It is still further desirable to provide methods of making rollable shingle-over roof ridge vents by joining sections of shingle-over roof ridge vents to form an elongated rollable roof ridge vent.
None of these references, either singly or in combination, disclose or suggest the present invention.